


Lore Talk: The Full Collection

by PailetteHazel



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Theories, headcanons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2020-06-10 02:12:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 6,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19489327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PailetteHazel/pseuds/PailetteHazel





	1. Introduction

Hello Medespelers! 

Some of you might know the theory series Lore Talk from @romanasanders on Tumblr. Since it’s easy to lose oversight on that platform, I have decided to gather all theories on AO3 to find easily. I will start with some terminology and then continue to the theories. Since AO3 doesn’t support pictures well, I have replaced those with descriptions between [brackets].

Reminder: Those are just theories, and it is very well possible they are proven or disproven as long as the Sanders Sides series continues.

Anyway, enjoy!

Hazel


	2. Terminology

Note: Most of the names are canon, yet some I named myself. Feel free to comment when something is unclear. Also, since there is still a lot unknown about how the canon of this series exactly works, some things can be proven to be false when new videos come out in the future.

Without further ado, let’s get into it shall we?

Side/Aspect/Asset/Persona: Visualised part of someone’s personality 

Host: Human with sides. In the Sanders Sides, Thomas is the only known person who has the ability to summon his sides. 

Mindspace/Mind: The mental space where the sides reside. This includes rooms, dreamspaces and dream scenarios, and the space they share when summoned into reality.

Room: The part of the mindspace where the sides are when they are not summoned into reality. Each room is different, depending on the side who inhabits it. The appearance of the room varies depending on the host’s current location.

Summoning: The act of manifesting or ‘pulling’ a side into reality, usually preformed by the host. However, sides can also summon each other. 

Appearing: When a side manifests into reality without being summoned. This can gradually (pulling up/into a video) or they can just appear.

Sinking out/down: When a side leaves reality or one of the rooms, they sink out.

Ducking out: This happens when a side remains in the mindspace dispite being summoned or called. This has a very negative effect on the host, because they will lose the part of their personality the side represents.

Calling: Just like summoning, but without force. A side can be called by their name or by the trait they represent. This can also happen accidentally.

Dream Scenario: Hypothetical situations, used to give an example, show something that happened earlier or explain something. They are always shown to someone else, and there is no ‘meta’ interaction between sides and/or the host.

Dreamspace: Unlike dream scenarios, a dreamspace is an entire new space, where interaction between sides and/or Host is possible. Those also usually take much longer than dream scenarios, and are not “plotted” beforehand. 

Conjuring: The act of manifesting imaginary objects. This can be anything, from food to weapons to paper to living creatures, like puppies.


	3. Bruises

It seems clear that the sides (and Thomas) can be hurt by summoned objects. Logan's laptop hurting Thomas in Accepting Anxiety 1, and Roman being hit with his own brush by Thomas in Accepting Anxiety 2. You could also count the file maps from 12 days of chrismas. (Although the Sides didn't seem to be "hurt" as much as overwhelmed by the things being thrown at them.) 

In the last post I already referenced Roman warning Patton "he almost took his face of” with his (summoned) sword in Fitting in. 

[Screenshot of “Fitting in”. Roman has his sword in his hand and points towards Patton, looking slightly bewildered.]

Interestingly, this seems to not be the only way they can get hurt. Recall if you will, the video Am I Original, when Roman suggests Fighting. Notice how nobody says it's impossible. Thomas only reacts that he's not a fighter. This implies that it is possible for the sides to, indeed, fight each other.

[Screenshot of “Am I Original.” Roman, with the caption “I’m not saying that we fight physically.”]

This is only amplified by Roman saying that he doesn't mean fighting physically. (Although he certainly would win) but verbally. It's not sure if this is his ego speaking, or that this is indeed the case, but that doesn't really matter for the theory. What's important is that the sides are able to fight, physically. 

With that in mind, let's revisit the weird scene from My Negative Thinking.

[Screenshot from “My Negative Thinking”. Roman’s empty corner of the room, with the caption “Everything hurts!”]

Yes, the "bruised Ego" scene. This moment is, strangely enough, the only time that a side got hurt by something outside the mindscape. But how would that be possible, since they are mental projections that only exist in the realm which Thomas summons them? Unless.. This isn't the case.

If the sides can only be hurt from summoned objects and other sides...

Who was far from being accepted at this point? Who was, especially by Roman, still seen as the bad guy? Who was extremely fustrated at the beginning of this video, more so than we've ever seen him? Who is responsible for Thomas's bruised ego? 

[Screenshot from “My Negative Thinking.” Virgil/Anxiety leaning forward threateningly, with the caption “You did a bad job, Sanders!”

That's right: His Anxiety.

When Roman (and Thomas) messed up the audition, dispite his ambition and hope he would succeed, Anxiety's suspicion was proven right. Roman had failed to listen to his warnings, and look what happened? Because of cognitive distortions Virgil was convinced that Thomas messed up, that everyone hated him for it and he would never act again. All because of Roman's over-the-top confidence. 

It's not suprising the fanciful side would be blamed, and attacked.


	4. Lilly’s Room

Before we get into the theory, I should first explain a few concepts. Dream scenarios, dreamspaces and the difference between the two. In the series, there have often been sequences conjured by the sides that take place somewhere else than Thomas’ living room. There are two kinds of those.

Dream scenarios are often hypothetical situations, used to give an example, show something that happened earlier or explain something. Some examples are the inbetween bits in Heart vs Mind, Am I Original and Growing Up. Dream scenarios are always shown to someone else, and there is no ‘meta’ interaction between sides/Thomas.

Dreamspaces are something different. Instead of just ‘showing’ something, the creating side takes the others/Thomas to an entire new space, where interaction is possible. Those usually take much longer than dream scenario’s, and are not “plotted” beforehand. Examples of this are the Sanders Mindpalace Center (the debate room) in “My NEGATIVE Thinking”, The ‘front door’ in “12 days of Chrismas” and the Mindpalace Theatre from “Can Lying Be Good.”

[GIF from “My Negative Thinking” Logan and Virgil are in the debate room, with the captions “That’s proposterous” “Your mom is proposterous” “I am ignoring you.”]

Now that that’s all clear, I would like to take you back all the way to Virgil’s introduction in Taking on Anxiety. The episode revolves around Thomas getting help from fellow youtuber Lilly Singh to deal with his anxiety.

Your first thoughts on this sequence might be that this is “reality” and that this is the real Lilly Singh. But if we review it in the context of the series, there are a few things that just don’t make sense. 

The first one: Lilly is surprisingly okay with Thomas just appearing out of nowhere in her apartment, together with an emo clone. She immediately accepts that Virgil is the personification of Anxiety. Even weirder, because later in the series it gets pretty much established that other people cannot see the sides.

Secondly, the only other time that someone other than Thomas and the sides played a big part, was in Becoming a Cartoon with Butch Hartman. In that episode, it was made very clear that Thomas had to physically go to L.A. to visit Butch. Nothing like that in this episode.

Lastly, the most convincing argument. Earlier in the video, when Thomas asks Roman what he should do to get rid of Anxiety, Roman replies like this: “This might be time for you to get Creative. Travel somewhere in your mind to bring in recruitment.” So it takes place somewhere in Thomas’ mindspace.

[Screenshot from “Taking on Anxiety”. Thomas stands with his arms crossed next to Lilly Singh, who gestures to Anxiety/Virgil who is offscreen.]

Okay, so it doesn’t take place in reality. Then, is it a dreamspace or dream scenario?  
We can rule out the latter very easily: there is interaction between Thomas, Virgil and Lilly, and it’s interactive from all three. A scenario would have been if, for example, Roman showed Thomas in certain situations where he finds a way to deal with a problem. 

Would It be a dreamscape then? Let’s see. Yes, there is interaction and yes, it takes up a big part of the episode. But it doesn’t fully fit either. First off, Virgil seems to be confused where they are and doesn’t try to end it early (like he did with his debate with Logan.) He clearly is aware what a dreamscape entails, so why does he react so bewildered?

[Screenshot from “Taking on Anxiety”. Anxiety/Virgil looks confused after being teleported, with the caption “Where are we?”]

Let’s revisit Roman’s statement, just before the sequence begins. “This might be time for you to get Creative. Travel somewhere in your mind to bring in recruitment.” Now, does this particular phrasing remind you of something? Let’s say, Roman in Accepting Anxiety part one. “Just focus on the things that would normally make you anxious. That is the corner of your mind where we need to go.” Or what about Thomas in Moving On, part one? “Thinking of happy thoughts..”

What if, with the help of Roman making him feel creative, Thomas transported himself into Roman’s room? Or at least an extension of it. Everything seems to fit with this theory.

Other sides/Thomas can interact within someone’s room, but they cannot ‘change’ the surroundings or ‘end’ the sequence themselves. And it would make sense for Creativity’s room to change drastically to suit Thomas/Romans needs. That would explain Anxiety’s confusion as he doesn’t regonise his surroundings.

This way, through getting creative, Thomas finds with Roman’s help several ways to deal with Anxiety.


	5. Dark Times

Did you know that the difference between the dark and light sides isn’t as big as you think?

Let’s first establish: what makes someone a “dark side”? Not that a side is “evil” or represents something bad. According to the first episode to reveal one of them (Deceit in Can Lying Be Good), the dark sides are the parts of Thomas personality that Deceit has hidden away from Thomas. Or rather: that Thomas has hidden away from himself. 

Roman states that “if you really don’t want to know something, [Deceit] can keep our mouths shut [and the dark sides hidden].” The dark sides are what Thomas denies about himself.

[Screenshot from “Can Lying Be Good”. Roman, looking uneasy, with the caption “ If you really don’t want to know something, he can keep our mouths shut.”]

There might have been a side who had been denied by Thomas, only to be a light side again later in Thomas life and long before the Sanders’ sides series started. I’m talking about Roman.

“But how!?” I hear the famders cry in the distance. “Creativity cannot be bad!” Hush because I will explain. First off, yes it can. Children and teens learn at school to do tasks exactly the way the teacher tells them. Adults who write, draw, sing or act in plays are not always taken seriously. This could lead to little Tommy hiding his creativity at a young age, even more so because he was a boy and boys didn’t like girlish things like that.

However, this is probably not the only reason. Remember: Roman represents more than just creativity. He also represents courage, passion and... sexuality.

Sexuality? Being gay, that was probably something young christian-raised Thomas would have trouble with accepting about himself. The side who represented that would be hidden with the dark sides because Thomas was just like other boys, who liked girls!

Only much later Thomas would accept that creative, feminine and very gay side of himself. He would create on new platforms, act in theatre and and get a boyfriend.

Could you really blame the attitude of the same Roman, a few tssides videos later, meeting again with Anxiety? Another dark side who not only was unlike himself (according to Roman) rightfully hidden, but also brought back memories from his own darkest times?

[Screenshot from “Taking on Anxiety”. Roman, looking down, with the caption “Okay, can’t stand that guy.”]


	6. The Vine Connection

Earlier this year, after some discussion about Sleep (Remy) and ‘Anxiety’ who appeared in a short, Thomas made clear that the Sanders Sides universe was seperate from that of the Sanders Shorts and Vines. 

[Screenshot from @ThomasSanders, 18 april 2018 with the message “I like how you put a label on Virgil lol” with Thomas replying “This is the Sanders-Shorts only universe. That right there is the concept of anxiety, not Virgil.”

Up till that point, most Fanders had assumed that the Teacher, Dad and Prince characters were Logan, Patton and Roman as we know them from the Sanders Sides videos. After all, they looked the same and were introduced as 'Teach, Dad and Princey' in the first Sanders Sides video. But if they are seperate universes, what is their relative relationship to each other? Which were first, and why do they look exactly alike?

[Collage of four pictures: Thomas dressed as Dad, Prince, Teacher and Anxiety from different vines (the first three) and short videos (anxiety)]

Let's start with what is, and isn't canon. We know that the Sanders Sides universe is very much like reality, so do the vine characters exist? Surprisingly, that might be the case. Thomas, in the Sanders sides, is a YouTuber, confirmed by Logan in Logic Vs Passion. Vine was referenced by Roman in Am I Original, to which the other sides replied "too soon". This proves that in SSides canon, Vine also shut down just like it did irl.

[Screenshot from “Logic vs Passion. A drawn diagram: ‘Youtube = job’ splits into several branches such as Research, Income, and Learn. Income splits into branches of his own, indicating Thomas’ spendings.]

For Thomas to be a YouTuber without other job, he must have gained quite some subscribers already. Just like in reality, this could have happened because of his popularity on Vine. It's safe to assume the vine characters Thomas created for Vine irl, were created in the same way in the Sanders sides canon. 

Then, a timeline. In the SSides canon, as far as we know, Thomas has always had the sides, they can recall memories as early as elementary school. (Q&A episode). That makes sense, since logic, morality etc are facets of your personality you develop early in life. That would be the only info we have, was it not for a particularly interesting quote that changes this entire timeline.

In "Losing My Motivation", when Patton finds the dollar in his cardigan, he remarks the following.. 

“Screenshot from “Losing my Motivation. Patton dressed as Watson, with a dollar bill in his hand, with the caption “Oh, it was in my cardigan since my character was first introduced, isn't that something? Oh my goodness!”]

This gives us some interesting lore information, namely that the appearances of the sides are merely 'characters' that were introduced in the series. With others words, Creativity, Morality and Logic have been with Thomas from the start, but they only got physical forms when the first Sanders Sides video was filmed. 

Now imagine, before the start of the Sanders Sides series. Morality, Logic and Creativity are about to reveal themselves for the internet. Only one problem: because they are only facets of Thomas' personality, they have no physical form of their own. But there is a solution: Thomas has several original characters, which he has portrayed before in his Vines. Logic choose the teacher, Morality the dad, and Creativity choose the prince to represent themselves. And that was how they manifested themselves for the first time.


	7. Musical Feelings

Way back in the sanders sides Q&A video, we were given lots of amazing little things that are personal to the sides, like their favorite relaxing passtime, their bending element, and their hypothetical youtube channels. It's a very fun video to rewatch several times. 

But while doing so, I was remembered of a specific question that was asked. This analysis was also partly inspired by a post from @limitededitionsanderssidesblog about the same subject. 

I'm talking about the question how the sides feel- answered with only a song title. Now, just like I did, you might have watched the video and not have looked much into the answers because they seemed pretty straightforward-well, except for Pattons, which could be taken as comic relief and "oh, its just Patton being silly"-moment. But what if it wasn't? 

Let's look at the sides answers and look at what the titles mean exactly, in context of their respective songs. Maybe it was never the intention to have the fans look for deeper meanings, but hey. It's what theorists do, right? 

[Screenshot of “Sanders Sides Q&A”. Logan answers the question with "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd.]

In order of answering: Logan, the first side to have his name revealed, says"Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd. This seems to refer to Logan's aversion of feelings- he is Logic after all. He doesn't feel anything.. but he doesn't want to change that. He's comfortable.

After listening to the song and looking up the lyrics, it seems like the song is about a drug-like numbness, like a fever. The singer talks about how this contrasts with his childhood and the realisation that "the child is grown and the dream is gone." 

How does Logan feel? He feels like he has gone from feeling bad to feeling nothing at all, and feels no urge to change that. 

[Screenshot of “Sanders Sides Q&A”. Roman answers the question with "All I Do Is Win" by DJ Khaled.]

Next up is Roman, with "All I Do Is Win" by DJ Khaled. Fun fact, this is the only song I regonised beforehand, because it's often used in crack videos, vines and the like as some kind of 'victory music. This seems to fit Roman as he is confident, maybe overly so. 

And well, there really isn't much more to say about this victorious song. It's about winning, celebrating and being praised How does Roman feel? Confident, like a winner, exceeding everyone's expectations.

[Screenshot of “Sanders Sides Q&A”. Virgil answers the question with "I'm not okay (I promise)" by My Chemical Romance.]

Then, Virgil's song is "I'm not okay (I promise)" from MCR. Truth be told, I had never really listened to mcr before this mention, and I did really like some of their songs. At first glance, it is a very 'emo' title, seemingly edgy for the sake of being edgy.

This song was mcr's breakthrough song. It is about feeling heartbroken and rejected, but dispite that, reassuring the person who is hurting the singer that he is okay. It's about saying that are fine, when you actually aren't. 

How does Virgil feel? He hides that he's feeling terrible from those who hurt him, because he loves them. And wouldn't you think, this fits with how he feels about Thomas and the other sides before his "redemption arc".

[Screenshot of “Sanders Sides Q&A”. Patton answers the question with "I'm the Walrus” by The Beatles.] 

Finally, Patton, who answered with "I am the walrus." If I may say so, the biggest mystery of the four and the one with possibly the deepest meaning. Let me explain.

"I am the Walrus" is strange song that at first glance, is just sentences filled with nonsense, random words and statements that do not seem to have any message. Surreal and eerie, since it contains sentences like "Yellow matter custard, Dripping from a dead dog's eye", "See how they run like pigs from gun" and "I'm crying" but still has an cheerful melody that you could sing along with. 

There have been many people who have tried to find meaning. The walrus from the title, most agree, is a reference to the short story by Lewis Caroll "The Walrus and the Carpenter." In the story, those two gain the trust of a group of baby oysters before the Walrus betrays them and the carpenter by eating all the oysters. 

So what does it mean if amidst of all the chaos, Patton compares himself to a villain and a traitor? This sounds like eerie foreshadowing... Also, notice that after the other sides' confused reaction, he doesn't laugh it off or say something different, like you would do if it was just a joke. He insists, repeating it and seemingly with a more serious face... 

[Screenshot from “Sanders Sides Q&A”. Patton leans forward, looking serious and mumbling “I am the Walrus”.

Does that look like the face of someone who is just joking around? Is he.. warning the others for something? For himself?!


	8. Commons’ Sense

This theory is about something that is widely accepted in fanfiction and art, but has no evidence in canon.. Or so I thought.

I'm talking about the so called "Commons". Some kind of neutral space, where the sides can reside without experiencing the negative effects of being in each others rooms too long. 

Let's first discuss the traits it would have. It would be like a room: The sides would enter it by sinking in and out, and it would continue to exist even if the sides leave it. It would also not be under creative control of one of the sides, as is the case with dreamscapes like the Debate Room in "My Negative Thinking" and the Mindpalace Theatre in "Can Lying be Good." 

[Screenshot of “My Negative Thinking.” Virgil looking annoyed, with the caption “FALSEHOOD”.]

And one final, important thing: It would be in the Mindspace so Thomas wouldn't be present like he is in reality. 

For the evidence, I simply bring the end cards to your attention. Even though Thomas is in some, most of them are taking place in the mindspace, but not in one of the rooms. The sides, for example for the secret santa in the Twelve Days Of Christmas video, gather in a neutral space. 

Patton says, after Moving On part two, that whenever he leaves his room he gets to spend time with the other sides. He's not referring to reality since they only share that space when they're being summoned for a video.

[Screenshot of “Moving On: Dealing with a Breakup.” End card. Patton looking enthusiastic, with the caption “I realize that whenever I leave my room, I get to see all of you!”]

And finally, during “My Negative Thinking” Roman is hurt and Patton nurses him back to health. They don’t pop up in reality, but still are in a shared space: the Commons.


	9. Map of the Mindspace

These definitions try to explain the layout of the mindspace as we know it. The words with a * sign are not (yet) confirmed in canon, but very plausible in my opinion. Everything can be disproven by upcoming episodes. It might get a bit abstract, so buckle up! 

The Mindspace: 

The entire mind of the Host (in case of the Sanders Sides, Thomas). A different 'pocket' dimension, where the sides originate from and navigate through. 

Reality: 

The real world, with the Host as center. Here, they can summon the sides. It isn't clear how far the sides can distance themselves. (At least the distance from the kitchen to the living room). 'Light sides' tend to rise into reality while ‘dark sides’ just appear.

Rooms: 

The parts of the mindspace where the individual sides reside if they aren't summoned. Their appearance resembles the current location of the host. Other sides can enter those rooms, but it might have a negative effect on them of they stay for too long. If all of the sides want to enter a room at once, they need the help of the Host.

*Commons: 

A neutral space, where the sides can interact without any negative room effects. Most of the end cards take place here. It also resembles the Host's current location. 

*Imagination: 

Open space where the sides can create dream scenario's and dream spaces. They can transport themselves and others there with simple gestures, such as finger snapping. Possibly, we have seen it already: the white void before Roman created the Mindpalace in Growing Up. 

The Mindpalace:

Created by Roman in "Growing Up." It's an alternative to reality and serves the same purpose of Thomas working things out mentally. It was however abandoned in "Making some changes" due to the annoying acoustics. Interestingly, Logan references it again in "Fitting in" confirming that it still exists in the 

*Subconscious:

Part of the Mindspace the Host is supressing or hiding from themselves, or simply not aware of. Possibly, it's where the 'Dark Sides' reside.


	10. Villain Mashup Lore

This theory is something special, since it is not about the series. Rather, it is about the music video Thomas and his friends made for their Disney Villain Mashup. Next to being an amazing cover of disney villain songs, I am convinced that there's a deeper narrative going on. Along with Alex (@logical-but-anxious ) from my discord server, started theorising, and here are the results. Buckle up, because it's gonna be a wild ride. (Big thank you to @lacrimosathedark for providing the lyrics!) 

You 

Yes. The infamous (Y/N) character, plays a role in this story. A rather big one, in fact: they are the reason the plot gets set in motion. It's not made clear what the reason is, but they went to Thomas and asked a favour in exchange for their soul. In the climax of the song, they get transformed. ("You're changing, you're changing.") They got what they wanted, but just like the other poor unfortunate souls, they lost what they had. 

Thomas 

Thomas' character, inspired by Dr. Faculier, is a fortune teller and magician with some dark connections. When asked for a favour, he summons his "friends from the other side" and strikes a deal in exchange for a soul. As evidenced by the tumbnail, Thomas is the only one in this story who is still human, apart from (Y/N)

The Demons 

The other singers are the Friends from the other side, who at first seem malicious but slowly reveal that they once made the same mistake. "Got what you wanted, lost what you had." applies to all of them, but in different ways. Some demons even gained special abilities because of their request.

Foti 

The line "Love is an open door." stands out in the medley. It makes sense when linked to Hans, but what does it mean in the story? It's likely that love was Foti's downfall, in a way. What if he, heartbroken, asked Thomas for a way to be trusted, to be listened to? He gained the ability to hypnotize, but lost his love and his former life. 

Valerie

In her first line, Valerie sings about being delighted in "the gruesome and grim." This could be a hint towards her life before the deal: what if she was a fan of horror and the supernatural, and asked for knowledge? During the first climax of the song, as Thomas casts the spell, she sings "Read my lips and come to grips with reality." Is this a last warning to (Y/N) to not make the same mistake? 

Leo 

Leo, the tall boi that he is, sings about being rather intimidating. What if he wanted to ensure this power? As a demon, he is certainly scary but laments: "they guzzle up the things you prize." 

Brittney 

This confident lady seems to be one of the more experienced demons, perhaps her deal was made as one of the first ones. She sings about beauty (perhaps that was her deal?) about casting spells and she assists Thomas with his cards. 

Jamahl 

He sings about being prepared when Thomas is talking about the future This anxiety might have gotten the best of him: after all, you don't have to be scared of anything when you are the boogeyman himself.

Terrance

After the transformation of (Y/N), Terrance surprisingly has an emotional solo. "Far from the ones who abandoned you. Chasing the love of these humans, who made you feel wanted." His reasoning for selling his soul is clear but heartbreaking.

Someone else? 

But, Terrance and the others sing also about a bigger evil. In the combined songs of the headless horseman and Cruella de Vil,(with the pronoun changed from she to he!) they sing about an inhuman beast that should be locked up. This could refer to the one behind the screen, the reason why they're in this particular situation. It's not Thomas, as he sings along with the demons here, so it has to be someone else... 

Dennis 

That's right. Even without a single line of dialogue, Dennis the piano player might be the one who's pulling the strings. He stays in the background, but guides and orchestrates what the others sing through the music. "Getting a head" might refer to him finding sanity or clear thought. This is why he uses Thomas to lure in unsuspecting humans.


	11. Don't make me write a lore talk

"Don't Make Me" is a music video that Thomas helped create with Malinda Kathleen Reese. The teaser pictures on his Instagram caused a commotion, causing fans to theorise about this new character. One of those theories, that this King is the original Creativity, might fit more than we thought. 

[disclaimer: yes, I know the story is Malinda's and has likely nothing to do with the Sanders Sides. But Thomas can still take inspiration from it, and my theory would fit perfectly if he ever decides to bring back the dragon witch as a character.]

First of all, lets start with the basics. The setting. The video seems to take place against a romanticised backdrop of European royalty. The use of “Once upon a time” and the narrator in the beginning suggest that it draws inspiration from classic fairy tales, and the costumes also fit in such a narrative. 

But some things do not make sense. The “subjects” are a nameless and faceless crowd, and apart from the royal couple there are only four other humans in the castle/palace. Not to mention, there are some anachronisms in the background such as a modern lamp in the balcony scene and a light switch at the staircase. 

This fairytale world doesn’t exist on its own, but is part of someone’s imagination. In particular, that of a child who has grown up on fairytales and disney but wouldn’t yet be aware of certain specifics. Someone like a young Thomas.

In this fantasy world from Thomas’ imagination, everything revolves around the King. Everyone else is simply a fragment of the imagination, created to forfill a role. The soldiers, the handmaidens and even the Queen herself. They all play in the fantasy that casts Thomas or more specifically, his Creativity as the hero and gives him a happily ever after. Creativity in this video is a playing child in an adult body.

But from the beginning, we notice something is wrong. The king clutches his hand after his new bride held it. The red spark in his eyes. The glitches. The queen notices it too, but gives it the “Benefit of the doubt” as she sings in the first line. She keeps playing the role she was made for.

What is happening is that Creativity has realised that maybe, Thomas doesn’t want a happily ever after. Not with a princess. And impulsive as Creativity is, he acts on a hunch, an intrusive thought you could call it. End the fairytale. Assassinate the Queen.

Unfortunately, the queen overhears the plotting. (Which is another clue to this taking place in a child’s imagination: both with a very childish drawing and neck slicing gesture) This was never supposed to happen, and you could say it disrupts the plan of the King, who is used to being in control.

The queen flees to her room with her maidens, singing “Never was built to be this way.” She doesn’t understand why her husband wants to kill her, because she did nothing wrong. She could not have: she was built, created with one purpose: to be the perfect wife and perfect queen in a fairytale.

But now, she deviates from that purpose: her outfit and the color scheme of the video change and the Queen becomes a Villain. Not without guilt: “Don’t make me be the bad guy” becomes a pleading, because she just wants to do what she was purposed for.

As the King enters the room to kill the queen, he gets suprised by the empty bed and a sword that crosses his. He is completely unprepared for a fight, because he did not expect one. He is out of control of this fantasy and it shows. The queen is perfect, so of course she knows how to swordfight and she overpowers the king, who flees outside.

At what is presumably the castle wall, he gets cornered by his queen-turned villain, and faces her with a panicked or even crazed look in his eyes, before he gets pushed off the edge.

You can see how the Queen’s gaze lingers as she processes what she has done: killed her husband, the reason why she exists in the first place. Or anything that she has ever known, for that matter. She realises that she will be seen as the villain of this fairytale.

Back inside, she faces her reflection in the mirror: the version of herself who has been singing the song to us. An evil queen. The bad guy of the imagination who had gained sentience on accident. 

Creativity didn’t die, but he split in two over the guilt he felt, over his conflicted feelings and about the fairytale he had ruined. A prince and a duke. Black and white.

The Queen remained in the imagination. Her resentment towards Creativity caused her to be cast again and again in fantasies, but this time as the villain. Until she became nothing but a monster for the prince to conquer. An embodiment of all that is evil. A Dragon Witch, perhaps?


	12. The Split

((This Lore Talk was originally an answer to an ask on @romanasanders))

The occurrence of the Split is one of the most fascinating things in Sanders Sides lore. It is a sign that sides can change: they don't have to be static. But for the Split itself, we really don't know much about it yet. We did get an explanation from Logan in "Dealing with intrusive thoughts" from which we can conclude a few things. I quote: "At a young age you filed away products of your imagination as either welcome or forbidden. This led to the development of two seperate sides of your Creativity." 

And when Thomas asks if his creativity split in two, Logan confirms: "[They split] into two parts during your development, yes. Like an ovum. The duke is like Roman's twin: the embodiment of 'dark imagination'". Because of the word 'development' it sounds like the split wasn't one sudden moment: Creativity split into two sides gradually. But Logan compares it to the way an ovem, or egg cell, can split in two during its development and produce twins. 

This hints that "King Creativity", lovingly adopted by the fandom, might never have been a seperate side. And following up on that, we can say that "King" never had a physical form or appearance. From other episodes, we know that the sides have access to memories as early as Thomas's elementary school period, and at least personally were part of him since his teen years. 

In another theory of mine called The Vine Connection, I argued that the sides only acquired their physical form once Sanders Sides, the series, started. Even if this isn't the case, the sides wouldn't have had a physical form until Thomas reached maturity: because in your childhood and teens, your brain is still growing, and you're still developing as a person. With other words: your sides are not developed yet either. 

I do hope we get to know more about Character!Thomas's childhood and the role his sides played in it. Who knows, maybe in the future this theory will be completely disproven. But that's the fun of theorising, isn't it?


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